Hate Has No Place

Tags

Gospel of Matthew, News, Racism

I’ve been on kind of an unintended hiatus from the blog lately for a few reasons. First off, my mom has been in and out of the hospital, and while she is definitely doing better, there’s been a lot of doctor’s appointments and other things she’s needed help with. Secondly, I’ve been working through the material I need to go through for the local pastor program in the United Methodist Church, which is extensive.  Finally I’ve been doing some reading and research for a Sunday School class I’m teaching this Fall, and all of this in the scant free time I have after coming home from my full time job. Needless to say, there hasn’t been a ton of time left over for the blog, which I have missed a lot.

I’ll get back to the “Great Hell Smackdown of 2017.” I still have at least three entries I want to do in that series, but I had to take the time to talk about what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia yesterday. If you somehow haven’t heard, here’s what happened.

A large group of Nazis decided to gather in Charlottesville, ostensibly to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee. I’m not going to legitimize them by calling them something like “white activists,” “alt right,” or even “white supremacists.” They’re Nazis, pure and simple. Friday night they held a large torch bearing rally at the University of Virginia. Once you got past the absurdity of using tiki torches in such a fashion, you realize the only things missing were swastikas, the SS banners, and a stand in for Hitler:

Do you still think they’re not Nazis? I mean yeah, the tiki torches kind of take away from the intimidation factor, but yup, they’re definitely Nazis. Anyway, I guess the Citronella finally ran out and the Nazis reconvened Saturday morning having exchanged the tiki torches for riot shields, SS banners, Swastika flags, and of course, the Confederate battle flag, which people constantly tell me stands for heritage not hate but keeps popping up alongside Swastikas and SS Banners, so whatever.

Saturday morning the Nazis were met by counter protestors. In the crowd were a few folks from the left wing antifascist group Antifa, and some fights broke out between some of these folks and the Nazis. Now look, I don’t care for Antifa’s methods, trying to incite violence is never the right way to go, but hey, at least they’re not Nazis. Also amongst the counter protestors were members of Black Lives Matter, several clergy men and women, students from UVA, and just everyday people who didn’t want to see hate flower in their community.

After a couple of tense hours the police finally managed to separate both sides and things seemed to simmer down a little. However, early in the afternoon a young man with a  heart full of hate and malice drove his car directly into the crowd of counter protestors. He injured several people and killed 32 year old Heather Heyer, a paralegal who was in the crowd.

I’m not going to post the name or the picture of the Nazi that killed her. He doesn’t deserve any more fame than he’s already gotten. This young woman’s life was cut short by hate, the same hate that has become almost mainstream since the last election. Certain political forces in our country decided to stoke the fear and the hate of White Nationalism in order to win the election, and now it’s becoming clear that they’ve opened Pandora’s box and enabled hate and vitriol to claim more innocent lives.

This isn’t about “Southern Heritage.” That’s just an excuse people use in order to mainstream their message of hate. Trust me, I’m up there with the biggest Civil War Buffs of them all. I’ve been to the battlefields, I’ve read the books. This stopped being about “Southern Heritage” a long time ago. We had a war about it. A lot of people died, and the outcome was decisive. Time to move on. We also had a war with Nazis. A lot of people died. The Nazis exterminated millions of people just because of their ethnicity. In the end, the big bad Fuhrer that these guys idolize so much sat huddled away in his bunker next to his girl and took his own life like the coward he was. The outcome was decisive.

The Confederacy and the system of human bondage it stood for lost.
The Third Reich and the system of dehumanizing hate it stood for lost.
Hate will lose in the end.

Right?

I don’t know anymore.

I have a confession to make. I sat this afternoon and looked at the picture of the man who killed Ms. Heyer and I hated him. It was more than righteous anger, I hated him with every fiber of my being. I wanted vengeance to be visited on him for what he did.

And I realized in that moment that I was no better than he was. I realized in that moment that I had betrayed the promises I have made as a Christian. Hate has no place among the followers of Christ. Jesus himself said:

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who harass you.” (Matthew 5:44).

But surely he doesn’t mean that we are supposed to reach out in love to these Nazis, right? Yes I’m afraid that’s exactly what he means. That’s the entire point of this part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is prescribing a different way. The way of the world is to meet force with force, violence with violence, hate with hate, and anger with anger. We humans have been doing that throughout our entire existence, and it never seems to stop, it never seems to solve the problem.

Jesus is asking us to try something different, to try to stand up with subversive love. This is not meant to be weakness. Any old person can respond to anger with anger. It takes true strength to respond in love despite the actions of the other party. That doesn’t mean that you condone what they did. It doesn’t mean that you don’t stand up for the weak and the oppressed. What it means is that when it comes time to put your money where your mouth is that you respond with love, grace, and forgiveness and try to break the cycle of hate.

Look, violence and hate will never produce lasting change. Folks like Antifa spraying raw sewage on Nazis isn’t going to change anybody. It just entrenches people in their own positions.

Only love, deep sacrificial love can change people. Jesus showed us that. Dr. King showed us that. Many people involved in the civil rights movement were badly injured or went to their death to show us that.

Heather Heyer shows us that.

Hate has no place. It doesn’t matter if it’s the hate of the Nazis or the hate directed to them. It is the people of love and grace who will triumph. Will you join me in working on that? Will you open your heart and mind to the Spirit to be directed on that path? Will we all have the strength it takes to be peacemakers?

Tonight I pray for all those in Charlottesville who have had their community up ended. I pray for those who are victims of hate and oppression. I pray for the family and friends of Heather Heyer. I pray for those who were injured. I also pray for those who harbor hate in their heart, that God can break the hearts of stone and show them a better way.

I pray for all of us.

So be it.

 

Maundy Thursday: A Juxtaposition

Tags

Gospel of John, Gospel of Matthew, Maundy Thursday

I had something I was originally going to put in this space. It wasn’t my best work, but it was pretty good, as far as I’m concerned. Maybe you’ll get to read it next year.

Instead, I’m going to show you two images from today.

One is something referred to as the “Mother of All Bombs.” It was dropped on some people who did bad things.  The Empire rejoices in it’s raw power to inflict pain, but it leads to nothing but fire and death.

“Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.” (Matt 26:52)

 

The other is of a gentle old man, who holds a position of great power, washing the feet of prisoners, some people who did bad things. The Empire scoffs and calls him a fool, but only his example has the power to transform hearts and lives.

“A new commandment I give to you. Love one another as I have loved you. (John 13:34)

Fire and death, or love and transformation? No person can serve two masters.

Speaking of The Master, He is anguished almost to the point of death, and walking into Gethsemane in the dark, alone.

Can you stay awake and keep watch?

Or will you fall asleep and be taken by surprise at the arrival of The Betrayer?

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is week indeed.

…..to be continued……

 

 

I’m At A Bit of A Loss Right Now.

Tags

Fear, Gospel of Matthew, Islam, News, Refugees

“Then shall he answer them, saying, ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.’ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matthew 25: 45-46 KJV)

I’m in a bit of an uncomfortable place right now. If you’re a regular reader, then you might notice two things right away. One, I haven’t posted in a few weeks. Two, I used the King James Version for the scripture, which I don’t think I’ve ever done. I’ve used the NKJV a couple of times, but not Ye Olde King James.

Why? Well, I wanted to preserve the real wrath of God feel that the King James language brings out so well. Now, if you know me, you know that’s not like me at all. I’m a Methodist for heaven sake, we don’t usually do wrath and the like. Well, I’m one angry, discontent, utterly disappointed Methodist. I am so mad that I SKIPPED COFFEE AT CHURCH TODAY! WUT?!

But why? Well, that’s part of the reason behind why haven’t posted much lately. It’s partly because I have a new position at work with more hours (yay!) and partly because I’ve been so upset and disappointed that I haven’t really known what to say. That’s come to a head the last couple of days.

In his infinite “wisdom” our new president has decided to issue a “temporary” ban on refugees and visas from certain predominantly Muslim countries. In doing so he has slammed the door in the faces of some of the most vulnerable people in the world right now. These are people who need our help. It would be bad enough if it were just Trump and his cronies going off, but many Christians, including some that label themselves as leaders, have just released lukewarm statements about it, stayed silent about it, or some have even come out in support of it!  This includes some of what went on at my own church today. We look at ourselves as wonderful because we’re doing a Sunday School class that’s trying to start a dialogue on race issues. We pat ourselves on the back for that. We go serve food at the homeless shelter, and we pat ourselves on the back for that too.

Yet what was said about this clearly unbiblical, antichristian action by the president? A few mealy-mouthed statements about how “we have to love everybody” and “we are all God’s children,” and how we “need to come to a compromise.”

Compromise? COMPROMISE? People are DYING. Parents are being separated from their young children! Meanwhile we set around and try pick our words carefully so we don’t offend anybody?

That’s why the picture I used here caught my eye, “DID I STUTTER?”

UGH.

Hey look, I get it. When you have a big congregation you have to remember that people have differing opinions. I get it, there’s a certain balancing act that has to go on, a certain politic that sometimes needs to be played.

But this….Jesus himself seems pretty clear about this. Jesus commands us, his followers, to see Himself in the sick, the dying, the naked, the hungry, and the stranger. He also said if we love him, we will keep his commands (John 14:15). He doesn’t seem to have much time for lukewarm folks (ask the Church in Laodicea).

This is wrong. This is exactly the opposite of the teachings of Jesus. You know it. I know it. Folks like Franklin Graham know it. So what exactly is the elephant in the room here?

Some of us, many of us, don’t feel safe. People who feel that the president’s actions are warranted do not feel safe. I can understand that. Maybe some people don’t speak out because they feel that if they do they won’t be safe. I get that too. Fear is a powerful motivator. I’m not really trying to fault anyone for feeling that way. We live in a big, complicated, scary world and we’re constantly being bombarded with “news” that just confirms our worst fears. As I write this tonight there is word of a mosque in Quebec City that has been attacked by gunmen with multiple fatalities. Things like this are legitimate news, and they can instill fear. However, much of it is propaganda trying to convince you that you won’t be safe unless you vote a certain way, give money to a certain cause, or repost somebody’s status on Facebook.

Has fear gotten to us as Christians? I think it has. I’ve been afraid. For the better part of the last month I’ve thrown myself into my new job, buried my head in the sand, and just hoped that it would either all go away or maybe not be as bad as people have been thinking.

But it all hasn’t gone away, and yes, it’s that bad.

And if I’m afraid, how would a Muslim living here right now feel? I’d be scared to death. Heck, I’m a straight, white, Christian male! I’m top of the food chain with these Trump folks. But I’m afraid, it’s scary. Tonight I was discussing this with my mom. I mentioned that with all this serious, scary stuff going on that it seemed almost trivial to go read a book, watch a movie, or play a game (one of my hobbies). I asked her if things were that tense in the Civil Rights era and during the Vietnam era. She said yes, they were. Every week in the newspaper you looked to see who had died and who’s draft number had come up. I was born in the late 70s, I missed all that. I don’t even recall being afraid on 9/11. This is a new feeling to me.

So again, I try to take the example of Jesus. I believe Jesus felt fear. Since he was fully human as well as fully divine, he had to. I picture him in Gethsemane being paralyzed so much with fear and so anguished that he sweat drops of blood.

But he did what he had to do. He did it as an example to us. He did it to show us how much he loves us and how much he wants us to love each other.

Is there room in the theology of the Crucified One, broken for our sin and salvation, for the politics of fear? No, I do not believe there is. Christ’s commands are clear. The president is wrong.

Doing something about it is going to be a big scary task, and I admit that outside of contacting my representatives (which I have done) I’m not sure what to do. I do believe, however, that Jesus is calling both you and me to set aside our fear and do more. May he give us the grace and fortitude to do just that.

My prayers are with refugees everywhere, particularly the ones affected by the president’s order. Tonight I also mourn with those who were injured or lost loved ones in Quebec City.

Where Are The Heroes Now?

Tags

Gospel of Matthew, Issues, News, Refugees

I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25: 43-46 NRSV)

I wasn’t going to post tonight, or well hey, this morning now, but this has just been gnawing at me all day. In fact, I’ve gone back and forth between being bitterly angry and just feeling utter sadness and despair. If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you know that a Muslim man planted a couple of pressure cooker bombs in New York over the weekend. One of them detonated and injured 20 some people. Luckily, nobody was killed and law enforcement was able to take the man into custody Monday morning after a shootout.

Well, one of our political candidates has decided to try to turn this all to his advantage. You know who I mean. Donald Trump Jr posted this, uh, rather hateful and scare mongering image to social media last night:

Just when I thought that the Trump campaign couldn’t get any more repulsive, they prove me wrong yet again. Let’s take a look at the logic behind this image for a minute. What if Hillary Clinton had posted the same image but switched “Syrian refugee problem” to “Gun owner problem?” What if someone involved with Black Lives Matter put out the same image and switched it to “police officer problem?” I mean, hey, another video surfaced today of a police officer in Oklahoma executing an unarmed black man who had his hands up.  If either of those other circumstances were used, applying the same logic, you’d be able to hear the howl from conservative America all the way across the Atlantic Ocean.

We’d hear things like:
“By far most gun owners are responsible, law abiding citizens.”
“By far most police officers are good people who put their lives on the line to keep us safe.”

Now, I believe both of those statements to be true. Here’s something else that’s true:
“By far most Syrian refugees are good, hard working people who are just trying to save their lives and the lives of their families by fleeing war, terror, and oppression.”

So why don’t they get the same benefit of the doubt that gun owners and police officers do?

The answer is because of fear. We are afraid. Our politicians, particularly, but not limited to, the Republican Party, have a vested interest in making sure we stay afraid. It’s basically a protection racket, except instead of money paid for “protection” the currency we pay is our votes. “Vote for Trump. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll beat ISIS. Trust me.”

I thought we were the “land of the free and the home of the brave?” I mean come on, we got together with our allies and we took down Hitler’s Nazis after they had pretty much conquered mainland Europe. We were the first to put people on the moon. During World War II our entire nation mobilized and quickly ramped up to provide not only soldiers, but to bring all of our resources to bear against those who threatened us. But now, now what are we afraid of?

Really?

It’s absolutely sickening and heartbreaking that so many Americans would keep these people in the cold out of fear. Seems pretty cowardly. Seems downright unamerican. I guess we should close down the Statue of Liberty.

And many of the folks who are scared and screaming about this call themselves Christians. Now if you think that Donald, “Two Corinthians” Trump is a Christian, then I have some oceanfront property in Southern Utah to sell you. But I’m not talking about him. He’s playing the fiddle of fear and people are dancing to his tune like puppets on a string. I’m talking about those of us who sit snug in our pews every Sunday, recite the creeds, read the Bible, and talk about how much we love Jesus.

Well, look at the verses above from Matthew. Jesus has no time for anyone who will not give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, a roof to a stranger, clothing to the naked, or care to the sick or prisoner.  A couple of verses before that he tells those that didn’t do those things to “depart into the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Hmm, that doesn’t sound like these are mere suggestions or only things that super Christians are supposed to do.

In the face of all this anger, all of this hate, all of this fear, where are the heroes? Where are the Mother Theresas, the Martin Luther King Jrs, the Dietrich Bonhoeffers? Where are the Christians that will stand up for these people instead of being content to be chaplains to our corrupt sociopolitical system?

Let me put it this way: If you’re a Christian and you castigate and refuse to help these people, then I don’t want to hear anymore about your “faith.” It seems like you don’t have much of a clue about what Jesus taught. Welcoming the stranger is a fundamental principle of both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

It is said that we should “be the change we want to see.” I’m going to start with a long, pleading prayer to God both for these poor people and for us. Then I’m going to cast my vote a certain way, but I’m also going to look into some concrete ways to help and advocate for these people. I hope you can move past the fear and join me. If I find anything concrete that we can do, you’ll see it here on the blog.

God bless, and God bless and comfort these refugees as He comforted the Holy Family when they fled to Egypt.

Faith Tracks: Petra–“Whole World”

Tags

Christian Music, Gospel of Matthew

Sometimes inspiration, and even comfort, hit you….when you’re putting away laundry. That’s what happened to me this afternoon. I was hanging up my work shirts and listening to a Spotify playlist I made of my favorite Petra songs. That’s right, Petra, the 80s-90s Christian rock LEGENDS.

Toward the end of the playlist, this song, “Whole World” from the 1986 album “Back to the Street” came on. I’ve loved the song, and the album, for years. It brings me back to my childhood when my entire family was so into Petra that we even got to meet and hang out with John Lawry.  Ah the good old days, when Petra was the soundtrack to every single family road trip. I still have most of their songs memorized (at least everything up to “Beyond Belief”). Oh and yes, I get that the image I posted is from an Andy Stanley thing, but hey, Petra had it in ’86, yo.

Anyway, the song hit me today as soon as it started blaring through my speakers. There is so much crap going on in the world today. I leave my cell phone on all night because a couple of my most precious friends know that they can call me 24/7, but usually I just get hit with news notifications from different services. This morning it went off and when I looked at it, I saw that some ISIL types had attacked a church in France and murdered a Priest while he said mass.

Jeez.

We’re reading and hearing about this kind of stuff on a daily basis. It’s not just about ISIL and terrorism either. The presence of Twitter, Facebook, and the 24 hour news media cycle make it seem like every little thing going wrong in the world is happening right on our doorstep. Maybe it’s police shootings. Maybe it’s people killing police. Maybe it’s the dire environmental news about things like climate change or other natural disasters. Maybe it’s bad economic news about food shortages and the lack of clean water in many places. Heck, if you haven’t been listening to the fear mongering that’s been taking place in the presidential election, you must be living under a rock. Last week a senator from Iowa attempted to scare the pants off everyone by going on for the RNC in Cleveland and basically talking about how ISIL is going to pop up in your living room like a Pokemon if you don’t vote for Trump. Similarly, the Democrats are peddling a narrative that the election of Donald Trump will bring civilization crashing down.

Are there legitimate things to worry about? Sure, and we shouldn’t be complacent, but the fear, the worry, is tearing us apart. In Matthew 6:27, Jesus point blank asks “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (ESV). We all know that taking that verse to heart is easier said than done, but I earnestly believe that Christ is in control, and hearing this song by Petra this afternoon drove it home.

Now I’m not one of those guys that think that God ordains all these bad things to happen. Nor do I think he’s up there with us all on strings like puppets. We have free will, and our choices have created the world we’re in. But this I know: ISIL will not stop God’s ultimate will. Neither will Trump, Clinton, the Brexit, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, or anything else. Only He knows when and how this ends, and it will happen according to his timetable, nobody else’s. In the meantime, we’re here to make this world a better place and bring his Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Even if I am destroyed in the process, I have a crown of life waiting and a Savior to welcome me, and hopefully he’ll say “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Until then, remember this when you hear the bad news cascading down: “He’s still got the whole world in his hands.”

Petra: “Whole World
Words and music by Bob Hartman
Star Song Records, 1986.

Hearts are failing left and right
Children fear this planet’s plight
Fatalistic fears abound
And take their toll without a sound
But through the vague uncertainty – comes a bold assurity
This world is under sovereignty – divinely ordered destiny
He holds this world together with the Word of His power
Safe within His hands – til its own appointed hour

(Chorus)
He’s still got the whole world in His hands – tonight
And only He knows where the sparrow lands – tonight
And nothing in this world can stop His plans – tonight
‘Cause He’s still got the whole world in His hands
In His hands tonight

Humanistic lies lament
The holocaust is imminent
Doomsday prophets in the news
Predicting who will light the fuse
The fate of His creation isn’t subject to a man
The final consummation is according to His plan

And He’s still got the whole world in His hands – tonight
And only He knows where the sparrow lands – tonight
And nothing in this world can stop His plans – tonight
‘Cause He’s still got the whole world in His hands
In His hands tonight

He’s still got you – He’s still got me in His hands tonight

In Jesus’ Own Words

Tags

Gospel of Matthew, Issues, Love

One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22: 35-40 NIV)

There’s been a lot of banter going on in America lately about Christianity and Jesus, like, more than usual. It kind of kicked off a couple of weeks ago when a certain Republican presidential candidate managed to “convince” a number of “evangelical” “leaders” that he really loves Jesus a whole lot, loves the Bible a whole lot, and tries to live by it a whole lot. This prompted Conservative Evangelical Blow-hard in chief James Dobson to proclaim this candidate a “baby Christian” and say that he had found Jesus.

Look, it’s not for me to judge somebody else’s faith, but since then the candidate has advocated for torture and war crimes, issued a blatantly anti-Semitic attack on his opponent, and openly praised Saddam Hussein. Huh. Well, if one demonstrates their faith by the fruit they bear, what does that say about this “baby Christian?”

It’s really all there in black and white, this Christian thing. It comes right from the mouth of Jesus himself. If you have one of those fancy-schmancy red letter Bibles you’ll see that the words that I quoted above are written in red, denoting that they are actual words of Jesus. He makes it simple really. One of the teachers of the law asked Jesus which commandment was the most important in the law. So keep in mind that you’ve got not only the Ten Commandments, but all those other 600+ regulations as outlined in the law of Moses as well.

Jesus boils it all down to two commandments. First, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.” Second, which he says is like it, is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He says that all the law and all of the prophets, everything that came before him, hangs on these two commandments.

Simple. Little. Equation.

Or is it that simple? After all, we Christians have spent the last 2,000 years developing these complex theological theories and systems. These are then used to judge important topics like “What’s a sin and what isn’t?” and “Who goes to heaven and who goes to HELL?”

Did you ever notice that the people your congregation, group, or denomination says are going to HELL are the people that are different than your group? Also, where in those two commandments does Jesus say that we are to judge the sin of others?

For me, Christianity in America is about defining who isn’t our neighbor so we don’t have to love them. Then we can conveniently banish them to HELL. Everybody has their own little group that they decide are different or sinful so they can get out of that second commandment that Jesus said. For some Christians it’s LGBTQI people. For others, it’s women who have had an abortion or a doctor that performs an abortion. For some it’s people of another faith whether Hindu, Muslim, Mormon, Jewish, whatever. For some it’s atheists and agnostics. For others it’s refugees that are fleeing war and violence or immigrants trying to build a better life for them and their family. There’s always a villain. always an “other.”

Thing is, the “others” are our neighbors as well. Jesus isn’t just talking about the people next door to you, or just the people in your group. News flash: he’s talking about EVERYBODY. Earlier in Matthew he even says you have to love your ENEMIES, not just people who have mild disagreements with you. Ponder that for a minute. Jesus calls not only to love those who agree with us (which is easy) but also people who don’t agree with us (which starts to get uncomfortable) and even people who might be actively trying to hurt us (which is really hard to swallow.)

Over the years we’ve come up with a ton of little ways to make it seem like Jesus doesn’t really mean what he said, but what if he did? That would certainly be a radical kind of love not found anywhere else on Earth. What if we as Christians actually practiced that? What if instead of judging others and finding excuses not to love them, we actually came alongside others and found reasons TO LOVE THEM? I’d dare say that would change the world.

I’m sorry, but what people like Trump and Dobson are peddling isn’t really Christianity. It’s some civil “religion” that hybridizes the most fundamentalist, conservative Christian ideologies with a radical right wing political agenda. How can it be considered Christian when it tramples on the very people Jesus sought to reach: the poor, the homeless, the sick, and the outcast?

Years ago, issues like this caused me to leave the church and write Jesus off. But you know what? Jesus didn’t give up on me even though I gave up on him. I don’t think he’s ready to give up on us here in the USA either. What is commonly called Christianity here is dying, and that’s unmistakable. However, there are movements afoot to go back to these core teachings of Christ. I see it in the eyes of my adult Sunday school class every Sunday morning. I see it in the wealth of Christian books and blogs that are calling attention to these issues. I see it in the eyes of my friends and coworkers who aren’t Christian when they realize that not all of us are uberjudgmental pricks.

Jesus made it easy for us in his own words: Love God, Love neighbor. If we stick to those keys, we just might see something new and beautiful rise from the ugly ashes of the anger, rancor, and hate that “Christians” seem to spew everyday.

It’s a big undertaking, but nothing is too big for God. I pray that He will work in each one of us to make it so.

Book Review: “So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore” by Wayne Jacobsen & Dave Coleman

Tags

Books, Church, Gospel of Matthew

“So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore,” by Wayne Jacobsen and Dave Coleman (Jake Colsen–pseudonym). Published 2006 by Windblown Media. This review refers to the paperback edition.

So pastor Gary has been passing this book around the church for awhile now, and if you’ve read it before, you’re probably thinking to yourself that this is an odd book for a pastor to pass around his church! You would be right. I doubt that many pastors in our culture would be at all comfortable with what this book has to say. I know a few of the people in our church who have read it and don’t feel very happy about it. When I put the title of the book into Google to find an image for this post, I was not surprised to see that one of the suggested searches for this book was “So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore HERESY.” Well, I didn’t dive into that, because I can well imagine some of the issues that folks might have with this book.

But what did I think about it?

Well first off, let me tell you a bit about the book. It’s a fiction book, a story. It’s not a topical study on why people don’t want to go to church anymore. Honestly I think the fact that it is just a story helps it make it’s points better in the long run. At any rate, it’s the story of a pastor named Jake who has become disillusioned with his life and role at church. The story is written in first person from his perspective. One day Jake happens to run into a man that he comes to believe is John, of the original 12 disciples. Over the course of about four  years, Jake has 13 conversations with John that end up challenging many of his basic assumptions about church and Christian life. During these 4 years, Jake has a falling out with the senior pastor at his church, is eventually fired from his associate pastor type job, runs into major financial difficulty, and almost loses his daughter before things start to get better for him. John helps him keep his eye on Jesus and his trust and dependence in God through all of it.

The basic point of the book is this: if you’re using any kind of church, whether it’s a megachurch, your local congregation, or even a house church to substitute for a real, personal relationship with Jesus Christ then you’re probably going to eventually find yourself unsatisfied. Taken to the extreme, the institution of church can almost become an idol, something that is worshiped and used to meet your needs other than Jesus.  It would be easy to suggest that this book is clearly anti-church, and anti-organized religion, and to be fair, the book spends most of it’s time outlining some of the things that can, and do, often go wrong in these settings. However, John makes a point on a couple of occasions to say that he still believes that God uses traditional churches and people in them for his purpose, and if you believe otherwise you’re limiting God. He also explains to Jake how if he’s not careful, a house church can take on the same shortcomings of the traditional church setting. The question is this: is your priority walking with God and living with him, or is it in the obligations we so often associate with Church? As John says toward the end of the book, discipleship comes before community.

I agree with that premise. I think you can be a Christian and never darken the door of a traditional church. However, I think the more God works in you, and the more you learn to walk in him, the more you will probably want to share that walk with others. Still, it probably doesn’t mean you have to be involved in a big church and be on a specified number of committees. Jesus says himself in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them,” (NIV). Church can happen anywhere. You don’t even need to have a formal order of worship or Bible exposition. In one of the last couple of chapters John mentions that Church is happening right in Jake’s own backyard, with people gathered together, having fun and fellowship, and experiencing life together. In short, it was fulfilling and there was nothing artificial about it.

Now, there were a couple of things that I didn’t really like about the book. A pretty big miracle occurs during one of the crises that Jake is in that solves a problem for him. To me it seemed like that didn’t really fit in with what the author was driving at in the rest of the book. Yes, we believe that God provides, but I wonder if someone reading that while going through a similar situation wouldn’t feel a little betrayed if they didn’t get the same miracle to solve their issue. Or would they perhaps feel like they were still doing something wrong if they weren’t given the miracle? So I guess to me the book seemed to peddle a bit of a theme that “eventually everything will come up roses for you as long as you walk with Jesus in this way.” I don’t think that’s true, nor do I think Jesus promises that in the slightest. Now to be fair, I might be reading more into than the author intended, but that particular theme didn’t sit well with me.

I also thought the book was probably a couple of chapters too long. To me, it felt like the last few chapters were largely just rambling over points that had already been made in the story. That’s when it got kind of “preachy” feeling.

The book is a good story and a pretty unique idea. It’s also a pretty quick read for the most part. I don’t know that it’s a life changer for anybody, but then again, maybe it doesn’t need to be. It will certainly challenge some of your beliefs about church and organized religion, and whether you agree with the premise or not, examining your beliefs is always a good exercise.

Modern Requiem

Tags

Gospel of Matthew, Issues, News

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into it’s place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52 NASB)

I’m vacillating between raging anger and shattered sadness right now. Just a little bit earlier this afternoon, the United States Senate voted down 4 different gun control bills that had come up in response to the mass shooting in Orlando two weekends ago. I had planned to post something else this afternoon, but this has just consumed my spirit. How many more people have to die before we even take a single step to try to interrupt this cycle of violence? Jesus makes it plain in the verse above that those who abide in violence will reap violence, and that’s exactly what is happening.

Unfortunately, many innocent people are paying for this attitude with their lives. I don’t want to really deal with politics here in this post, but I want to remember them. Below are pictures of victims from 5 of our most heinous shootings, including Orlando. Please take a moment to look at each of their faces and ponder how their lives were snatched away from them. Then, please take a minute and say a prayer for their families and for our country. If you are then so moved, contact your elected representatives and candidates and tell them how you feel about this.

Orlando Victims:

Sandy Hook Victims:

Umpqua Community College Victims:

Charleston Shooting Victims:

Aurora Shooting Victims:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called Children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

In God We Trust?

Tags

Gospel of Matthew, Issues, James, Social Justice

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’ (Matthew 7: 21-23 NRSV)

So yesterday I was driving home from an excursion to the bookstore (one of the few places where I’m TRULY happy). It was a gorgeous day outside with temps in the 70s. I stopped at a red light and noticed that I was waiting behind a Davis County Sheriff’s office truck. I sat and read all of the things emblazoned on the vehicle, then I noticed that on the back bumper were the words “In God We Trust.”

Huh. Now my first thought was, “Man, they’re just asking for a lawsuit.” However, then I began to think more critically about it. Let me warn you right now, I do not believe in conflating God with country on ANY level.  If you’re one of these patriotic Christian types, you’re going to get angry, so continue at your own risk. Anyway, the more I thought about it, the more I asked myself “Why is that there? No, really, why put that on a police car?”

Did they believe that by invoking the name of God that it would somehow protect the officer driving the car? Doubtful. Did they do it to please the local public here in Utah, most of which are very religious? Possibly. Did they do it because they can, they want to show off the fact that this is a religious area so IN YOUR FACE ATHEIST SCUM!? Maybe.

But I think the reason they did it was because this is America, and in America, we make a HUGE DEAL out of acknowledging God. Despite the best efforts of the ACLU and a few very vocal advocates for the separation of Church and State, most of America still claims to be Christian, and claims it very loudly and shrilly to anyone within ear shot. Think about it. Even in this modernistic humanist age, a great many Americans still file into church every Sunday (or at least on Christmas and Easter). The United States is almost totally responsible for the huge numbers of Bibles distributed in the world every year. Our national politics are still impossible to separate from what is viewed as our national evangelical identity. Ugh, just typing that makes me want to barf.

We loudly proclaim “In God We Trust.” It’s even on our money, which to me is just the hypocritical height of idolatry. If there’s one thing we truly worship in the USA it’s money, and money is what we truly trust. We insist that out leaders be Christians. A suggestion that a leader is not a Christian can turn off huge portions of the electorate. (Think all the claims that President Obama is actually a Muslim.) We proudly proclaim that our laws are based on the Ten Commandments and the Bible, which isn’t true. Our laws are based on Enlightenment ideals and English Common Law. We claim that our nation is rooted in Christianity and God, which is also not true. Our country is rooted far more in John Locke than in Jesus Christ and God is not mentioned even once in the Constitution.

But still we proclaim “In God We Trust,” which wasn’t actually added to our currency until 1957, and “One Nation Under God,” which wasn’t added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954, nearly 200 years after the founding of the republic. We make a big deal out of being God’s spokesmen in the world.

But, as Jesus says in the above verses from Matthew, not everyone who runs around crying “Lord,Lord!” and prophesying is going to make it into the Kingdom of God. Why not? In the passage Jesus says two things: we must do the will of his Father, and he must know us. We need to know Christ, and part of that is actually DOING the will of the Father. Evangelical America preaches that you can pray the “sinner’s prayer” and head into a “Bible believing church,” and you’re all good. Jesus seems to want something more. James says it like this in the first chapter of his letter:

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. (James 1: 22-25 NRSV)

So if we are doers of the word, if America is a “doer of the word,” what might that look like? Well much of American Christianity would say that we need to make abortion illegal, outlaw Marriage Equality, openly discriminate against LGBTQ people, put prayer back in public schools, wage mighty holy war against our enemies, and of course make ourselves rich and get lots of money.

Those are undeniably the pillars of American Evangelicalism today. I’m pretty sure Christian rocker Carman had at least one song citing all of those. If that also sounds like the social platform of the Republican Party, that’s because the two are now one in the same.

But is any of it according to God’s will? Is any of that what he wants us to be doing? I don’t like abortion, but to outlaw it would eliminate it’s use in legitimate medical circumstances and sentence women who become pregnant from rape to yet another indignity. I don’t believe God is in line with either of those things. Should we get rid of Marriage Equality? While I believe that churches should not, and will not, be forced to marry same sex couples, to deny these loving partners the same equal rights under our law is utterly disgusting. I also believe that a loving, committed same sex couple is just as glorifying to God as a heterosexual couple in the same circumstances. I also don’t believe that God wants us to openly discriminate against LGBTQ people, or anyone else. To do so plainly violates the command to “love thy neighbor.” Why put prayer in schools and force it on non-believers? Jesus had ample opportunity to enforce his will and beliefs on secular government and chose not to. Jesus also tells us to love our enemies and that those who make peace will be blessed, so much for Christian war-mongering. Finally Jesus tells us that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. James goes on at length about the sins of the rich against the poor, yet the Gospel of Personal Wealth and Rampant Capitalism still far surpasses the Gospel of the Humble Nazarene in every part of our country.

I think if America were truly being “doers of the word,” our country would look a lot different. I think we’d have a national healthcare system that would grant everyone access to medical care whether they could pay for it or not. I think we’d be striving to use our power and resources to make peace in the world instead of threatening countries who disagree with us. I think we’d spend more on helping the sick and the poor and less on bombs, guns, and the weapons of war. I think we’d be offering to do whatever we can for women with unwanted pregnancies instead of just screaming about abortion. I think we’d give poor people bread instead of Bibles. I think we’d strive to serve others rather than enrich ourselves.

In short, we’d look an awful lot like Jesus.

We never have though, and we never will. Which is why I choose not conflate God and Country. They are two separate things, and they are not equal. It drives me nuts to see the Bible or the Cross draped in the American Flag. We don’t have a monopoly on either of those things, which are both so much bigger than our country. I hate seeing the flag in my church sanctuary, a place I believe is Holy Ground reserved for God. Put it in the fellowship hall or in the vestibule, but not in the sanctuary. I don’t say the Pledge of Allegiance anymore either. I can’t pledge my allegiance to a country that honors God with it’s mouth and fails to follow his word in the slightest, and at any rate, Christ says you can’t serve two masters. Only one gets my allegiance, and I choose the cross of Christ over any earthly country.

That sounds radical, and it is. Don’t get me wrong, I love my country and I will continue to try to change things for the betterment of all in the guidelines set out by my faith in Christ, but where the two come into conflict, I’m going with Christ every time. Unfortunately I think we’ve seen that “In God We Trust” is more a political platitude than a statement of faith, so these two things clash quite often.

 

 

 

Characters of Lent: Peter

Tags

Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Matthew, Grace, Lent

“But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!” Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus made the remark to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he began to weep.” (Mark 14: 71-72 NASB)

In my last entry about Adam Hamilton’s book “24 Hours that Changed the World” I mentioned that since Hamilton encourages us to see ourselves in the characters of the story of Holy Week and the Passion, I was going to do a series where I do just that.  This is the first of the series, and I’m going to reflect on Peter.

You’ll recall that Peter was something special to Jesus. He was one of Jesus’ closest friends, he was the innermost of Christ’s inner circle.  It was Peter, who earlier in the story had been the first of the disciples to realize that Jesus was “The Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus then said that Peter was the “rock upon which I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:17)

That’s a pretty good endorsement, isn’t it?  Jesus seemed quite confident in Peter, and of course Peter was supremely confident in himself. Late that night on Holy Thursday, as Jesus and the disciples ate the Passover meal, Jesus had predicted that all of the disciples would fall away, and Peter told him that even if all the others fell away, he would not (Mark 14:31).

Imagine Jesus looking Peter full in the face, making direct eye contact, and saying, “Peter, before the rooster crows twice tonight you will deny me three times.” Put yourself in Peter’s place, having Jesus just staring into your soul. What could he possibly mean by that? What in the world was going on?

After dinner you all go out to Gethsemane to pray. Jesus asks you, James, and John to stay awake with him because he is troubled “to the point of death.” What in the world is wrong with Jesus?  You’ve never seen him quite like that.  Jesus goes off by himself, as he often does, and you sit with James and John.  You talk a little bit, maybe about how great your dinner was.  Maybe you discuss some of the odd things Jesus had said at dinner, you know, about the bread being his body? Had you heard him right?

Soon the wine starts to kick in, and it is rather late so you find yourself nodding off to sleep. After a few minutes, Jesus comes and shakes you awake.  He looks like he has been weeping, eyes bloodshot, his face coated with sweat and tears. “Peter, couldn’t you just stay awake with me this little while?” You don’t want to make a scene and rouse the others so you whisper something like, “It’s ok, Jesus, I’ll stay awake, I got this.” Jesus saunters off again, and you fall asleep, only to be woken by a distraught Jesus again. A third time you fall asleep and then awake to see Jesus standing over you, gazing across the Kidron Valley. You rub the sleep out of your eyes and see a group of men carrying torches and chains approaching, and is that, can it be, Judas with them?

You’re confused, but the confusion turns to anger quickly.  Judas walks up to Jesus, and kisses him, and after that you see members of the Temple guard surround Jesus and start to bind him.

You’re not going to take that laying down, so you draw your sword and strike the man nearest to you, removing his ear with one swipe of your blade. Jesus looks at the scene, and shakes his head. Not yet totally bound, he picks up the ear of the man and places it back on his head. He says, “Peter, put your sword away, for those who live by the sword will die by it also.” You stand there, stunned and confused until the captain of the guard walks up, grabs your sword and tells you to leave or you will share the same fate as your master. You turn and see all the others running in opposite directions.  Not sure what to do, you follow them, not daring to look back as they haul Jesus away.

After a few moments you gather your thoughts, and you realize that since it was Temple guards not Romans, they must be taking Jesus to the palace of the High Priest. You follow from a distance, then flipping up the hood of your cloak you sneak into the courtyard, trying to get a glimpse of Jesus or at least figure out what’s going on.

A few minutes later a servant of the high priest steps into the courtyard to get water from the well. She looks at you a little funny and says “Wait, aren’t you one of this Nazarene’s followers?” Uh oh, you’ve been spotted, your mind is racing and you blurt out the first thing that pops into your head: “No, you must be mistaken, I don’t know him.” She comes closer to look at you in a better light from the fire and says to some of the assembled crowd, “Yup this is one of his followers, the guy in there on trial!” Ugh, why won’t she just leave you alone? “I don’t know that man at all,” you say. You draw your hood closer to your face and try to move away, only to be accosted by a group of people, one of which says “You must be a follower of his, you’re a Galilean!” Now you’re frightened. Will guards come out to check on the commotion? At a total loss you scream “I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT, I DON’T KNOW THIS MAN!”

And then you hear a shrill sound, piercing into the fabric of your being. A rooster crows once, and then again. You get this knot in the pit of your stomach and you glance across the yard only to Jesus being led from the High Priest’s chamber. His eyes meet yours and he holds your gaze for what seems like an eternity.  He knows.  He knew then, and he knows now.  You run from the courtyard, weeping uncontrollably.

I get Peter. I really do. Years ago when I thought I was going to be a pastor I thought I had it all figured out.  I was supremely confident in my faith and in my abilities, but like Peter, my fall was sudden and violent. Some things happened in my life, some things went against me and I began to question. This made people interested, knowing that I had wanted to go into the clergy and they would ask me: “I thought you were a Christian?” My response, “No, I do not know the man.” I denied him more than I like to admit.

But a funny thing happened while I was down on myself, my faith, and my world as a whole. God never gave up on me. One night I was listening to my favorite atheist podcast and they were interviewing a guy named Brian McLaren. Here was this man talking about how Christians and how the church really weren’t this group of annoying blowhards that were just out to make everyone miserable.  In fact, many Christians were gravitating away from the that toward a message of piece, love, and grace.

Grace.  There’s that word.  The grace of Christ allowed Peter to not only be reconciled to Christ but to be one of the most instrumental people in the founding and sharing of the Christian faith. If Peter could receive that kind of grace, then, could I?

I looked into it.  I read McLaren’s books and eventually my parents talked me into coming to church with them to hear their new pastor.  There, in the United Methodist Church I found a people who were less concerned with judgement and more concerned with love and service to all.  These people reflected the Jesus that I had learned about, and I realized that even though I had denied him, he had never denied me.  One Sunday morning we song a song that I really liked and I felt the palpable presence of Christ with me, whispering in my ear: “I love you, I have always loved you. Welcome home, my son.”

I wept.

I had a similar path to Peter’s. I went from supremely confident, to denying that I even knew Jesus, to being devastated and looking for a way back, which I found in the Amazing Grace of Jesus Christ.  That grace is available to you as well.

And that my friends, is why I so easily see myself as Peter in this story.